In Marvel's 'Avengers AI,' the machines rise

By Matt Moore, Associated Press

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Artificial intelligence is both the problem and the solution for a new team of Avengers whose roster members are synthetic, android and robotic.

Such is the crux of "Avengers A.I." which boasts the return of the Vision to prominence in the Marvel universe after years on the sidelines that left readers wondering whether Hank Pym's benevolent creation would ever return.

Writer Sam Humphries and editor Lauren Sankovitch said the book, illustrated by Andrew Lima Araujo and released Wednesday, is a new chapter for the Avengers. It focuses on a threat that resulted from the just-concluded "Age of Ultron" story that nearly ended all life at the hands of the evil robot -- also created by Pym.

That threat, vague but certain, looms large but remains hidden, too, seemingly able to strike from anywhere at anyone at any time, they said.

At the center of all of it is Pym, a founding member of the classic Avengers, whose creation of Ultron and Vision has been both beneficial and dangerously problematic.

"The invention he comes up with to stop his invention has unintended consequences for the future," said Humphries, whose previous work for Marvel includes writing Uncanny X-Force and "Ultimate Comics: Ultimates."

The team is led by Vision and includes Alexis, an artificial intelligence presence that resides in one of the planet's advanced robot bodies.

There's also Victor Mancha, the son of Ultron who first gained prominence in the pages of the Runaways, as well as a Doombot that is, for now, unnamed. Also on the team is Monica Chang, an agent with SHIELD whose portfolio is keeping tabs on artificial intelligence and keeping the world safe.

It's a complex, frenetic place, said Sankovitch, because the proliferation of artificial intelligence objects means the world "has to deal with this emerging threat. ... Is your cellphone now going to be used against you? It's not just the characters, but the technology in general."